McGarry’s Bar and Restaurant

Excellent place, food is great. Lisa the waitress was so sweet. Very good shepherds pie. I will definitely come back again.

After recent events in Orlando I won’t tolerate any type of discrimination against me or my community. I’m gay, and I am a minority. We felt disrespected by the owner of this establishment. This place is very close to my job, if I was having a stressful day I used to go there with a few of my colleagues. In reality their service is awful, pricy, hidden fees so be very careful. The owner is racist against blacks and Hispanics, they don’t like gay people, and they hate vegetarians! Around 6:15 on Friday We ordered our first round of drinks and food. We were having a good time, when the owner came up to our table, abruptly grabbed my colleague food out of his hand and throw it in the garbage. He had the nastiest attitude, no customer service. He claims that my colleague was eating something he didn’t buy in his establishments. He was very disrespectful and when we confronted him he stated «I don’t care if I’m disrespectful, finish your drinks and leave»! Mind you that my colleague is vegan and mcgarrys doesn’t offer anything vegan on their menu. They only treated us that way because of who we are. I felt humiliated, sad and angry. He had no reason to disrespect me or any of my colleagues. If he doesn’t care I don’t care either!

Meh. I ordered a mix green salad with cranberry, wallet and blue cheese. Basically what you’d think. Generic mixed green mix from the bag, Craisins, candied walnuts and blue cheese crumbles. $ 15, no meat. Okay, okay… NYC? No, come on. Coulda got a better salad from a fast, casual «here’s your ticket» place.
Now, don’t come here for the salads right? I know. Wasn’t my idea to come here. Other person ordered a Reuben sandwich and that didn’t look great either. Edible, but only just above NJ diner standards. Maybe. Came with lots of steak fries. Steak fries that looked too suspiciously hand cut to be anything but frozen.
Waiter was really nice though. Good service. Can’t see why you’d eat here though. It’s NYC, there’s options. Place was ghostly at 8PM on a Tuesday. Maybe others feel the same?

I came here on Sunday with a Groupon for brunch for two. I love brunch and I like exploring Groupon for deals like this because it makes me try places I normally wouldn’t. You have to make reservations 24 hours in advance with the Groupon. That I don’t get because it’s a pub. It’s not going to be that crowded that you’re not going to get a table. Especially for brunch at a pub. Which leads me to believe that they do that so that all the employees know as soon as you come in that you have the Groupon. Might as well just have painted it on our foreheads.
McGarry’s is in a very accessible location. A block away from the main post office. Two away from MSG and near all the 34^th street subway stations. Very cute and traditional on the outside. Nice and clean on the outside as well as on the inside. Booths to your left upon entrance. Tables to the right and up the middle. Then the bar, more tables and the outside seating area. Large t.v. and jukebox across from the bar. Two bathrooms that both say ladies. They were clean and properly maintained although a bit cramped. Greeted by a lovely Irish accented waitress who was fairly attentive throughout the experience. There was another waitress, who wasn’t really ours, who was a bit more up on her helpful game with us. I forgot they had outside seating so it slipped my mind to mention wanting to sit out there. Being that it was a beautiful day out I would have loved to have sat outside. We weren’t given that option but I noticed other people were. The Groupon curse? The Groupon is for one brunch item each and 3 drinks each. Drinks included Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, Bud Light’s, Screwdrivers and I believe one other. The Mimosa was very good and very strong. Just how I like it. The brunch menu isn’t extensive. Can’t expect much from an Irish bar I guess. Steak and eggs ($ 5 extra), typical Irish breakfasts, french toast. omelettes, etc. We got our food in a timely manner but getting refills on the drinks was like trying to pull teeth. I got the omelette. Came with hash browns, choice of two fillings and white, wheat or rye toast. It was a typical swiss and mushroom omelette. Cooked well, tasted very good, well seasoned, hot and fresh. The home fries were tasty with some give to them. No soft and mushy home fries here thankfully. The person who I was with had the swiss and mushroom burger which they loved and chowed down. I must admit, it did look good Even to this vegetarian. I tried her fries and even though they were of the frozen kind, they were huge steak fries that were lovely. I was glad the food was enjoyable. I must give them props for their Bloody Mary. Best one I ever had and I’ve had quite a few of them! It tasted like they used Clamato instead of the traditional tomato juice. If that’s the case, that would be a Bloody Caesar but I digress.
I noticed as soon as I looked at the menu that they have a sort of Groupon clause. It says that tax is not included on the Groupon, Duh! Then I saw that it also said that a 20% gratuity would be included on all Groupons for the PRE-​Discounted price. Like another guest posted, that’s wrong and totally bogus in my opinion. Look, it’s not like I wouldn’t have given them a 20% tip. I always do. I just don’t like that they are dictating the amount for me with no choice. Especially on a price that I didn’t pay for! I paid $ 20 for the Groupon. Why are you figuring out the tax and tip for a price that I didn’t pay for??? Seems wrong in my eyes. The receipt was very detailed. With happy faces written where they AGAIN say that tax and tip is taken from pre-​discounted price. Don’t try to appease me with some smiley faces to cover up grimey tactics. So the pre-​discounted prices were $ 13.95 for each brunch item and $ 7 each for the mimosa and bloody marys. Then $ 6 for the Bud Light. Hmmm… how is that your pre-​discounted prices when you have a chalkboard outside that CLEARLY states that each brunch drink/​cocktail refill is only $ 3!!! So why was my refill for the Bloody Mary given at $ 7??? That’s just scandalous to me.
So, when it comes down to it, I would recommend coming here for some good bar food in a chill atmosphere but DO NOT purchase the Groupon. Totally not worth it. They seem annoyed with the whole Groupon thing even though a huge majority of their guests come in with them. Just take your business off Groupon if it’s so tedious for you.
P. S. I apologize for using the word Groupon so freaking much!

Food wise they have good bar food. I had mozzarella sticks and the buffalo chicken wrap with fries. Food was hot and tasted good but the place itself was not. Sat outside to enjoy weather. Employee was outside smoking even though it’s labeled no smoking. Nearby construction had dust flying everywhere and got on people’s food and drinks. No apologies from waitress. Thought I found a diamond in the rough but I wouldn’t eat here unless it was indoors.

This is a review for a 4-​person brunch, the rating is based on service and possibly illegal charges.
I purchased a Groupon for 4 for McGarrys, (covers 1 entrée and 3 drinks per person). I knew going in that the Groupon did not include tax and tip.
The service was ok — the restaurant had few guests when our group arrived. I made a reservation 24 hours in advance and told them we were using a Groupon, which I gave to our waiter upon arrival.
The atmosphere was pretty quiet as few others were there, but the music played in the background was pretty awful — I was told that they possibly had a playlist of music specifically to push Groupon users out and prevent lingering. The drinks had a lot of booze in them, which made them reasonably hard to drink, especially as most other drinks were not included. Food came out reasonably and tasted good — nothing was incorrect, but almost everything not specifically listed in the Groupon was informed as such, so I felt as if we were being extorted slightly.
The issue came when the check arrived. I knew that tip was not included and expected the bill to have the original price of the dishes ordered so that we could tip on what would have been the full amount. I didn’t expect to owe anything additionally on the check because nothing was ordered that wasn’t covered by the Groupon, except for egg whites in one entrée that would have been $ 2.
The check listed what would have been the original bill ($ 153), as well as tax and gratuity included. It is illegal to include tax on a price that wasn’t rendered. The tax was based on the cost of the check if a Groupon wasn’t used, and basing the gratuity on the original bill was not mentioned in either the Groupon, their non-​existent website, or anywhere else. The end result was that the bill came, and we were charged $ 34 ($ 14 for tax and $ 20 gratuity) on it. In my experience, a gratuity would be expected on a party of 6 or more, but a table of 4 with 4 entrees (IE the average dining experience) does not validate any special services.
When one purchases a good on sale, the tax is always based on the price of the item after the sale — if one was to purchase a coat at Macy’s that was listed for $ 100, and marked as 50% off, tax would be charged on the after-​sale price of $ 50, not the $ 100. In this case, they charged tax and gratuity on the $ 153 check, which wasn’t our real bill because we used a Groupon. It’s also likely that that money wouldn’t have been reported to IRS for taxes as well. I put down $ 40 to cover the $ 34 and leave a small amount as a tip, because at the time, I did not want to cause a scene by arguing or not paying, but if I had really considered what they were doing, I would have complained and possibly refused.
I would not come back, with or without a Groupon. The service was what’d you expect from a Groupon, and if they expected poor tipping and adjusted their attitudes and operating practices accordingly, then one should expect equally poor responses from customers.
TLDR:
Food: Ok, but not memorable.
Service: OK, but not memorable.
Atmosphere: Eh. Music did not help.
Charges: Illegal and extortion.

We stopped by here for an early dinner before a concert at MSG. Party of 4 and we got seated immediately. Waitresses were quick and didn’t forget a thing. All of us got sandwiches and they were fantastic. Definitely a place to go back to. I loved the chicken avocado club. Enough to split with an appetizer. In warmer weather they have outdoor seating!

I’ve been to McGarry’s half a dozen times and I have enjoyed every one. But I admit that I prefer the times that I’ve been able to take advantage of the back patio. It is a literal oasis in the middle of the city on a nice summer day. And they’ve got a pretty darn good brunch deal too — good breakfast and lunch options that are well portioned too with a free drink. And if you get an appetizer I highly recommend their chicken bites — the dipping sauce is addicting.

With the group of seven arriving after a long day at the international beauty show, needless to say we were starving and looking to take a load off. There was a Ranger game in town and the bar cross the street was packed to the brim so we were worried we wouldn’t be able to find anything in the area, but we walked right into McGarry’s and there is a section on the left for all seven of us and all of our shopping bags. Praise the Lord!
We were welcomed right away by a lovely waitress and brought waters all around, and were all drooling over the menu — it’s fantastic. On the back are all the Irish pub regulars like Bangers & Mash and Shephard’s pie… but the front had your typical lunch time needs — with a little twist and an interesting uniqueness about them.
There was the McGarry’s burger and the regular chicken club or turkey club or BLT, but the avocado chicken and Swiss on a baguette was out of this world — the bread was so soft I thought it was going to be hard, I was very impressed. I shared this & a Cobb salad with my girlfriend and they were both great!
Everyone at the table cleaned their plates and most people shared two things so they could have a taste of one another’s. The Ruben went over fantastically as did the turkey club, BLT and chicken wrap… There was not one unsatisfied customer!
I wish I’d taken a picture but I was so hungry and I just dug in way too fast — oh and they have those big steakhouse fries that are just out of this world. For seven of us for lunch two wines & two beers, it was around $ 110– that is a great price for a great lunch in New York City!

Yum! Hubby and I stopped in for brunch today. Irish breakfast was insanely good. We both ordered a spicy bloody mary, and they were perfect! It wasn’t too loud or busy, which we really appreciate as NY’ers! This is probably going to be my new favorite brunch spot!

Has to have one of the best brunches in the city. The décor isn’t fancy like some of NYF other brunches but the food is amazing! Absolutely amazing
On 1÷9÷16 I went it again to this lovely place on my anniversary because it is my favorite brunch spot. The food definitely was still amazing. I sat exactly where I sat a year before with my partner. The waitress was busy so she wasn’t the quickest to serve us but it was still great service. I really enjoyed my groupon brunch voucher. I think it was 25 – 30 $ and it included 3 drinks a person and a brunch entrée.

We are in town for a short vacation and made reservations here about a month ago after buying a groupon for Sunday brunch. There was a mixup with the reservation but the manager Mickey was really accommodating and took great care of us anyway!
We had some nice food and the mimosas were great! I had a great omelette and one of the girls with us had the veggie burger and said it was really good.
I recommended trying this pub for a real Irish experience in New York City!

came to this place with a brunch groupon and it wasn’t bad at all. the waitress was sweet and attentive right from the beginning. we ordered the mcgarry’s burger and irish breakfast. the portions are huge! however, i didn’t like how crispy the sausage and pudding (meat stuffing shaped like coins) were on the outside. i had a hard time cutting into it. the bacon was amazing. i was able to get a taste of the burger and it was cooked just right. the waitress kept refilling our drinks so we were pretty happy brunchers towards the end.
i would give this place 4 stars but once we came in we saw 2 flies flying around near our table. by the end of our meal we saw 4 –5 flies and these were not small fruit flies. they were average size flies. my friend didn’t mind it but since this place has an A rating the insects should be taken care of…

Slightly overdue for this review!
I came here with a Groupon for brunch with my BF, and I have to say this was one of the better brunch experiences we had!
We had a seat at a cushy corner, the place was clean, the setting was cute and our server was wonderful with a good sense of humor. We arrived at 12, forgot to make a reservation but she honored it anyway!
Food: ⁹⁄₁₀
I ordered the classic burger with fries as recommended by a fair amount of Unilocalers, medium rare. The burger was perfectly cooked, medium rare, fries reminded me of english chips, perfectly crispy on the outside, mashed potatoey on the inside. Delicious :)
BF ordered eggs and sausages, the eggs were yummy and the sausages were totally crispy on the outside and delicious on the inside :) Homefries were well seasoned and crispy too. You can tell we like our food crispy lol.
Drinks:
We ordered Screwdrivers and coffee, we were properly tipsy brunchers by 1pm
alcoholics: ¹⁰⁄₁₀
coffee: T for terrible. because they ran out of regular and gave us decaff. but its not their fault decaff tastes like watery dirt, because it is dirt so T/​10
Service: ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Our server was wonderful! she came by to check on us every now and then and had a great sense of humor, the service was phenomenal :)
Location: ⁸⁄₁₀
Easy to find, standard décor :)
Overall, definitely would come back again!
PS. bars are for alcoholics, not for coffee addicts, if you’re looking for coffee and are offended by my comments of coffee, you are looking at the wrong place anyway: P

My family and I were starving after a whole say at comic con. We stumbled upon this place which far surpassed our expectations. We got chicken pot pie, Shepard’s pie, bangers and mash, and a burger. Everything was absolutely delicious, served hot and in a timely manner.
The chicken pot pie was full of flavor and the crust was light and crispy like a fresh croissant. The Shepard pie had an amazing gravy that tasted like it cooked for hours. The bangers and mash were delicious. I would definitely order it for brunch when I come back. Especially to cure a hangover! And the burger was juicy and cooked perfectly.
The beers were a great price and complemented our food well. Nothing we ate was too greasy. The portions were appropriate; we were all full but didn’t leave with left overs. I would highly recommend!

I was visiting New York a couple weeks ago with a friend and stumbled across this Irish bar and restaurant and I’m sure glad we did! The bartender was absolutely fabulous, as was the owner who both showed us a great time! We noticed right away it is usually a locals only kind of place, but everyone was so welcoming even right away knowing we were not from around that area!
Thank you for showing us Floridians a good night on our last night in New York!

Nice Irish pub. Had the steak sandwich. Very good. Caught a bite before catching the train. Will definitely stop in again when in the neighborhood.
Probably will try the bangers and mashed next time.

Came with a groupon for brunch. We chose to sit out on the back patio. It was wonderful… felt like relaxing in our backyard, except with someone else making food and drinks and delivering them right to us!
Our server was really nice and friendly. She was attentive in the beginning, but left us alone when it was clear we were busy enjoying our food and were all set.
And the food — huge portions! I got the french toast, my partner got the steak and eggs (an extra $ 6 that he said was worth it). Mine = 4 slices of french toast, a great big side of potatoes, and a side of bacon. Half of it made for a good breakfast the following day! Our server was so sweet in bringing us a box; instead of being annoyed at having one more trip to make, we could tell she encouraged people to take leftovers home to enjoy later (and so that they didn’t go to waste). Food tasted great; my only complaint would be that my french toast wasn’t very hot; however, I did understand that the steak was probably to blame. Not to mention, I’d rather feel like I need to eat in a hurry while it’s still warm than deal with someone getting sick over under-​cooked meat the rest of the day. All other food was hot; drinks were cold.
Felt so at home that we ended up staying for a fourth round and discovered that the McGarry’s ale is pretty solid. I’m sure we’ll be back for pints sometime!

Came in with a groupon and some friends for brunch (I’m sorry! We tipped $ 20 on the original price, doe!) We were greeted and seated right away, and our server seemed cool and friendly. Oh, this is an Irish pub and all the employees I encountered were Irish, as is common in these neck of the woods.
Once our party arrived we had the various brunch plates and booze. All were really good! Considering the pub atmosphere, the food was actually really good. Not that pubs don’t make good food, but you know…(I’m still drinking from that brunch yesterday, sorry). I had the burger, med rare. Came out perfectly and the fries were salty and delicious. Tried bites of all kinds of stuff, including blood pudding, all delicious.
Settled up and wandered up to the bar. Nice young lad with a short beard served us up some pints and shots of Jameson and Knob. I had a Guinness and it was poured properly. Well done, horse! Bartender was cool, was poking fun at movie mistakes in a racing movie in which a guy shifts up like 10 times.
Solid 4 stars. Wouldn’t mind seeing full pints on the brunch beers instead of the 12 oz mugs, though still a great deal! Would definitely return.

Good food, drinks, prices, portions, and staff. I had the bangers and mash and my mate had the pasta primavera (at an Irish place? No idea why he did that). The bangers and mash came with a heaping portion of mashed potatoes with caramelized onions and three good sized sausages. Even though I shared some of my dish, I still had enough food to take home for a snack the next day. The pasta primavera dish was nothing really to write home about. It was pretty obvious that the veggies were frozen and sort of thrown in and mixed with the pasta. Again, not completely surprising for an Irish pub serving an Italian dish, and still wasn’t bad.
They had a decent priced happy hour and I quite liked the McGarry’s Irish Ale on tap. Staff was friendly and talkative as were the particular patrons sitting next to us, and they had live music on Friday. It can get very crowded some days because it’s close to the convention center.
I would go back and have gone back!